Mueller is watching Comey; Sessions isn't

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By Tal KopanLaura Jarrett and Evan Perez (CNN)

As former FBI Director James Comey is testifying before the Senate on Thursday, two high-level players in the Justice Department are taking different approaches.

According to sources familiar with their plans, Attorney General Jeff Sessions will not be watching Comey's testimony, but special counsel Robert Mueller will be.

Sessions has an afternoon awards ceremony where he is speaking, so he will be preparing for that. He will be updated by his staff, the source said.

Mueller, on the other hand, will be watching.

It remains to be seen whether Mueller will investigate the circumstances of the Comey firing and the interactions between Comey and the President as an attempt to interfere with the investigation.

What Comey says in the hearing could influence that.

Comey released a seven-page account of his one-on-one interactions with Trump on Wednesday and dedicated his remarks on Thursday to explain why he felt it necessary to counteract what he called outright "lies" from the administration about the circumstances of his firing.

The former FBI director wouldn't go so far as to draw a conclusion himself, but said he was "sure" Mueller would look into it.

"I don't think it's for me to say whether the conversation I had with the President was an effort to obstruct," Comey said. "I took it as a very disturbing thing, very concerning, but that's a conclusion I'm sure the special counsel will work towards to what the intention was there and whether that's an offense."